Ralph Stawell Dutton, 8th Baron Sherborne (1898–1985), was the 8th and last

Baron Sherborne Lord Sherborne, Baron of Sherborne, in the County of Gloucester, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1784 for James Dutton, who had earlier represented Gloucestershire in Parliament. He was the son of James Dutton ( ...

. He created the gardens at

Hinton Ampner Hinton Ampner is a village and country house estate with gardens and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bramdean and Hinton Ampner, in the City of Winchester, Winchester district, in the county of Hampshire, England. It is near New Alres ...

near Alresford in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and on his death left the house and garden to the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. It is now open to the public.

Early life

Ralph Dutton was born on 25 August 1898. Ralph Dutton was the only son of Henry John Dutton (1847–1935) and Eleanor Cave (1866-1946), the third of four children, with two elder sisters and one younger sister. He attended West Downs, a Preparatory School near

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, before studying at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. After Eton, he went to

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, where he formed the Uffizi Society, and later also studied at Cirencester Agricultural College. He started to create the garden at

in the 1930s, with funding from his father. Previously, the parkland came directly up to the house, which was designed to be a hunting lodge. He worked for a time for the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

and

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is a insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gover ...

, while living in

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest Squares in London, square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Owner of Hinton Ampner

In 1935, on the death of his father he inherited Hinton Ampner. The house, originally built in 1793, was remodelled extensively in 1867. On the death of his father Ralph Dutton commissioned architects

Gerald Wellesley Hon. and Very Rev. Gerald Valerian Wellesley (1809 – 17 September 1882) was a Church of England cleric who became the Dean of Windsor. A nephew of the Duke of Wellington, he was domestic chaplain to Queen Victoria and played a major advi ...

and Trenwith Wills to restore it to its Georgian appearance, worked carried out from 1936-39. It was badly damaged by fire in 1960, but Dutton restored it again. Dutton collected paintings, hung in the house, including a set of paintings of the four seasons by

Jacob de Wit Jacob de Wit (19 December 1695 – 12 November 1754) was a Dutch artist and interior decorator who painted many religious scenes. Biography Jacob de Wit was born in Amsterdam, and became famous for his door and ceiling paintings. He lived on ...

, depicting cherubs painted in a three-dimensional monochrome style. He also had a well-stocked library in the house, which was damaged in the fire. Dutton was appointed

High Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs 11th and 12th centuries 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th ...

for 1944. He was an executive member of the National Arts Collection Fund.

Baron Sherborne

A great-grandson of

John Dutton, 2nd Baron Sherborne John Baron Dutton, 2nd Baron Sherborne (24 January 1779 – 18 October 1862), was a British peer. Background Sherborne was the son of James Dutton, 1st Baron Sherborne, of Sherborne, Gloucestershire, by his wife Elizabeth Coke (1753–1824), ...

, Ralph Dutton became the 8th Baron Sherborne on the death of his cousin

Charles Dutton, 7th Baron Sherborne Charles Dutton, 7th Baron Sherborne (13 May 1911 – 25 December 1982), was a British peer. Background Charles Thomas Sherborne Dutton was the son of Lt. Col. James Huntly Dutton, 6th Baron Sherborne, and Ethel Mary Baird. Career Dutton was a ...

, in 1982. With no direct heirs and unmarried, he gave his estate, including

, to the National Trust on his death on 20 April 1985.

Books

Dutton wrote the book ''A Hampshire Manor'' that chronicles the history of the manor at

and its gardens. The book also includes, under the chapter on the 18th century, details concerning the well-documented haunting. Other non-fiction books by Dutton:New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors
/ref> *''The English Country House''

935 Year 935 ( CMXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Arnulf I ("the Bad") of Bavaria invades Italy, crossing through the Upper Adige (modern Tyrol). He proceeds ...

*''The English Garden''

937 Year 937 ( CMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * A Hungarian army invades Burgundy, and burns the city of Tournus. Then they go southwards to Italy, pillaging the environs of ...

*''The Land of France'' (with Lord Holden)

939 Year 939 ( CMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Hugh the Great, count of Paris, rebels against King Louis IV ("d'Outremer") and gains support from William I, duke of Normandy ...

*''The English Interior''

948 Year 948 ( CMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Hamdanid forces under Sayf al-Dawla raid into Asia Minor. The Byzantines respond with reprisa ...

*''Wessex''

950 Year 950 ( CML) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: A Hamdanid army (30,000 men) led by Sayf al-Dawla raids into Byzantine theme Anatolia. He defea ...

*''The Age of Wren''

951 Year 951 (Roman numerals, CMLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Berengar II of Italy seizes Liguria, with help from the feudal lord Oberto I. He reorganizes the territorie ...

*''London Homes''

952 Year 952 (Roman numerals, CMLII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – At the Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), Reichstag in Augsburg (assembled by King Otto I (Holy Roman ...

*''Normandy and Brittany''

953 Year 953 ( CMLIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Marash: Emir Sayf al-Dawla marches north into the Byzantine Empire and ravages the countryside of Malatya ...

*''The Victorian Home''

954 Year 954 ( CMLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – A Hungarian army led by Bulcsú crosses the Rhine. He camps at Worms in the capital of his ally Conrad the Red, d ...

*''The Châteaux of France''

957 Year 957 ( CMLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * September 6 – Liudolf, the eldest son of King Otto I, dies of a violent fever near Pombia (it is rumored from a laten ...

*''English Court Life''

963 Year 963 (Roman numerals, CMLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 15 – Emperor Romanos II dies at age 39, probably of poison administered by his wife, Emp ...

A biography of Ralph Dutton, "A Man and His Home, Ralph Dutton of Hinton Ampner, 8th Baron Sherborne" by John Holden was published in 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherborne, Ralph Stawell Dutton, 8th Baron 1898 births 1985 deaths People from the City of Winchester English gardeners High sheriffs of Hampshire

Ralph Ralph (pronounced or ) is a male name of English origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Old High German ''Radulf'', cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms are: * Ra ...